Friday, April 8, 2011

Shoulder Surgery To Be Part Of The Missionary Experience!

Several weeks ago Brock aggravated a football shoulder injury which has left him in a great deal of pain, so much so that he had to walk around with his hand tucked into his belt to get some relief. It is feeling better now, but he will undergo surgery within the next couple of weeks. Sister MacDonald tells us the surgery will take Brock out of service for only a day. He'll wear a sling for 4 weeks and undergo rehab for up to 12 weeks. Despite that news, the missionary work goes on.

Elder Bird with Elder Osborn, one of his missionary buddies, at a recent zone conference.

This morning I went to the doctor about my shoulder! I discovered that I have two tears now, one in the front and one in the back. All my tendons are loose in my shoulder, so he would need to repair the two tears and then tighten most of my tendons in my shoulder. The only fix is surgery. It is doing better because I have been lifting free weights.

Through all of this, Jannae (Brock's mom) is in Kenya on a 10 day medical mission.
As for mom that is a really cool experience and it seems like she is enjoying it. I just hope she is safe and I am keeping her in my prayers! My week!

Monday we had lessons from like 6 to 10. We taught this girl named Pauleen. She is like mid 40's, is a recovering drug addict and has been into some serious stuff.. But she has been clean for 15 years and is really close to God. We have been teaching her all week and the lessons have gone really well. So far she has given up smoking and accepted a date to be baptized on the 16th. She came to the church and watched conference with us for the morning session. So it was pretty cool. She has progressed very well and has grasped the importance of Jesus Christ and His gospel principles.

I am way tight with this kid named Garrett who we met playing basketball. He comes and hangs out with us a bit and were going to start teaching him this week.

Later we went to Morgan's house and taught him again. He is having some trouble. He is 11 years old and hasn't been going to school. We just talked to him about the importance of education! It went really well and we also taught his older brother who is really cool and has so many questions. He is really bright and we were able to answer all his questions and you can totally see him changing for the better!

Wednesday we had dinner with brother Phair and a single woman in the ward. She had a friend over who is a 7th Day Adventist. We taught her and it was a good lesson. Her name is Melody so we'll see how that goes.

Thursday we taught Cole for a quick lesson. We have been teaching a ton! Most of these people I am talking about we see daily along with lots of other people. Cole is getting married on the 20th and baptized that weekend! So that will be really cool!

We also taught the two Daniels this week. Really cool kids. The one I am tight with got his wisdom teeth out. Super funny! We watched some conference with them.

Saturday we watched conference and Priesthood meeting was a really good one by the way!.

Being a leader is a lot of work but it's cool to receive revelation for district meetings! This week I really looked at the numbers and they have been down since '08 in my area. So I really tried to get the elders motivated. And it worked! We blew out all the numbers in the area this week and the district picked up 29 new investigators! So I was stoked about that! I am not a number's guy but numbers are important because they help keep you motivated and keep track of your work. I am really impressed with the zone down here. They have really turned it around and we're getting things done! Not only that I think confrence helped a lot! It was a good motivator along with our combined district meeting. It was sweet!

The weather here has been super nice, mid 70's and 80's all week! I really think the weather had a lot to do with the work too. Everyone is just glad to be out and about!

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Mission Call! May 7, 2010

Farewell, August 1, 2010

Click on image for more photos!

Oregon Eugene Mission

Brock's Mission President

President Mark Young and Sister Sue Young. They have four children and are from the Mount Olympus 4th Ward, Salt Lake Mount Olympus North Stake. President Young was a bishop and a former counselor in a stake presidency. Also served as a Young Men president, ward mission leader, high councilor, elders quorum president, and missionary in the Canada Toronto Mission. He has owned several McDonald's restaurants in the Salt Lake area. Click on their photo to see the Oregon Eugene Mission blog!

Lincoln City--Brock Opens A New Area, His Last Area!

Lincoln City is right on the coast, a beautiful place to end Brock's mission. He was sent to open this area and hopefully pave the way for many to be introduced to the Gospel. Lincoln has nearly 8-thousand residents. It's two main industries are tourism and retirement!

Winston--January 2012--May 2012 Served As Zone Leader

Brock lives in Winston, a very small town with a population of about 25-hundred people. It is next door to the more famous town of Roseburg. Located in Southwestern Oregon, Roseburg is a part of the hundred valleys of the Umpqua. In Roseburg, you can climb a mountain, raft a river or catch a salmon in some of the most picturesque areas of the Pacific Northwest. It is a part of a water wonderland crowned by the world famous Umpqua River. It is also close to the Oregon coast!

Brock's Weather In Lincoln City

Bend--July 2011--January 2012 Served As Zone Leader

Bend is central Oregon's largest city with a population of 76,639 as of the 2010 US Census. The town is located on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range along the Deschutes River. It started as a logging town but is now known for its many outdoor sports, including mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, skiing, and golf.

Eugene--Served July 2011

Eugene is Oregon's second largest city with a population of 156,000. It's home to the Oregon Ducks and is widely known for its beauty, biking, running, rafting and kayaking.

Eugene Video Tour!

Klamath Falls--Served January-June 2011

Main Street in Klamath Falls. The town's population is about 21,000. The biggest employers are a medical center and the school district. Klamath Falls is also home to the Oregon National Guard's 173 Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field.

Klamath Falls Video

Corvallis--Served August 2010-January 2011

Downtown Corvallis. Population 55,000. Corvallis is the Benton County Seat, and a study showed that the county is the least religious per capita in the nation!

Brock's First Mission President

President Thomas MacDonald and Sister Kaye MacDonald. They were released in July 2011. Click on photo to see their blog.

Medford, Oregon Temple

The temple in Medford resides within the Oregon Eugene Mission. It is the 79th operating LDS temple and was dedicated in April 2000. There is also a temple in Portland.